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Why Barista Attitude’s new Faro grinder is a reliable ally baristas can trust thanks to a complex system of technology that delivers speed, precision and grind consistency.
Most people have a partner in life that guides their decision-making and has their back when times are tough. When it comes to coffee equipment, the same rules apply.
A barista needs to rely on the quality and consistency of its tools to ensure the job gets done easily, and to the highest standard.
It’s for this reason coffee machine manufacturer Barista Attitude is introducing the Faro grinder to complete its range of espresso equipment, which already includes the Tempesta, Storm, and Pilot espresso machines.
“Faro is an integrated system that provides technology solutions and features that are combined with the same aim and target as all Barista Attitude products – to help make the lives of baristas easier,” says Barista Attitude Group Marketing Director Jacopo Bambini.
“Our products have always provided solutions, such as single and multi- machines, pressure profiling, long steam wands, touchscreen displays. And now, the Faro can help support baristas even further by producing a consistent grind that delivers a perfect up every time.”
Faro, meaning lighthouse in Italian, is a development of the Grindie Solo grinder, of which Barista Attitude now owns under its portfolio of products. As such, Barista Attitude has retained the tried and tested technology in the grinder, and modified its design to incorporate key attributes of Barista Attitude’s range, including Tempesta’s raised metal feet, and a new digital interface.
“Retaining the technology in this grinder also means certification is already in place in some countries, such as Australia, where we hope to launch Faro in early 2024,” Jacopo says.
He is confident the specialty coffee market will appreciate this model. Not for one technological standout, but because of the equal complexity of technical features underneath Faro’s surface, and its simplicity on the outside.
One such feature is the integrated weighing scale. Users can set desired doses for each portafiler just once, before presenting it to the portafiler holder where the grinder will recognise the weight thanks to automatic portafilter recognition with an integrated scale connected to the portafilter bracket. From there, it will grind the pre-set single or double dose required to +/- 0.1 grams of accuracy thanks to in-built scales monitoring every particle extracted. The exist dosage is visible on the digital interface in real-time, so the user can see exactly how the dose is measuring.
“No longer will you have operator error about under- or over-dosing because the grinder technology will recognise the desired dose, produce a really accurate result, and ultimately this will be reflected in the cup-quality,” Jacopo says.
“The blend quality is important, the coffee machine is important, but so is the quality of the grind, its consistency and precision during operation. You shouldn’t need to worry about the variables. Instead, you should be communicating with your customers, concentrating on human relationships, and serving them the best cappuccino of their life with ease.”
Grindie Business Development Manager Eleonora Bardoni agrees, saying for many years the industry has undervalued the importance of grind consistency for quality extraction. It’s for this reason the first industrialised version of the Grindie grinder was created in 2019.
“The grinder was developed for the specialty coffee industry in mind. The main problem with grind-by-weight technology in general, is that when the cell breaks, you have to stop using the device and stop your business. With our model, you can simply switch to manual mode, the grinder cuts out by weight technology, and reverts to previously set dose settings so you can keep using the grinder without interruption,” Eleonora says.
“Baristas have enough problems to work through during their day. They need to feel safe, and that they can trust the equipment they’re using. You can have a great machine like the Tempesta or Storm, but a coffee can be easily ruined with the wrong grind. Just like in a sporting team, each member needs to play their part otherwise no one reaches the end goal.”
Micrometric adjustment of Faro’s 68-diameter burrs also ensures the accuracy and consistency of the grind.
“Sometimes people think bigger burrs imply bigger retention because you have more space under between the burrs and the grinder chamber wall. But in our opinion, the burr diameter is a perfect compromise between the right level of productivity with very small retention,” Eleonora says.
“We chose the best burrs on the market, using Black Diamond titanium coating. Following sensory tests, it was determined that this coating guarantees more fruit and flower flavour notes in coffee. The burrs don’t heat the coffee and are long- life burrs, so they maintain a stable grind for a long time.”
Through Faro’s touchscreen display and information setting, users can see the temperature and set your own profile, and safely protect it under password lock avoiding staff error.
The other advantage, Eleonora says, is Faro’s screwless burrs.
“One of the most annoying processes in maintaining equipment is cleaning. When you open grinder, you are never able to clean the retention inside the screw holes. Faro’s burrs are in a fixed position, which actually gives you more cutting surface. Sixty-eight diameter burrs without screw holes gives you more productivity because you have more cutting surface. This cutting surface, even the geometry of teeth, was designed to give you the perfection range of microns to suit the extraction you need,” she says.
A patented anti-clumping feature is also integrated into the grinder.
“Without with system in a grind-by- weight grinder, the ground coffee will agglomerate in big clumps. They will fall down in the portafilter, so you can’t have accuracy in the weight system, and you’ll get channelling during extraction because when you press the powder, clumps will give a higher density inside the [coffee] biscuit,” Eleonora says.
Every component inside the grinder has also been designed for noise absorption, with anti-vibrant features helping to keep noise during the grinding process to a minimum.
Barista Attitude has considered how temperature impacts the flavour of coffee, and uses a temperature probe inside the grinder body to monitor the air and exist temperature of coffee granules.
“The hopper was designed to be like a vacuum system to avoid oxidation. One fan sucks out hot air produced during the grinding process, and another fan sucks in fresh air so a circulation of air inside the grinder is always maintained and kept stable,” Eleonora says.
She adds that as a result of the Faro’s accuracy, there is less grind and time wasted trying to perfect the right grind dosage.
“A few days ago, I took part in an intermediate roasting course where we had to roast coffee and find the right extraction. One participant used and wasted half a kilogram of coffee which was thrown out in the process of finding the best extraction and tasting each time. Of course, he didn’t use the Faro grinder,” Eleonora says.
“Coffee is precious. There’s lots of labour behind it. You cannot afford to throw away specialty coffee because you can’t find the right geometric size for the right extraction. It’s also about how you value your time as a barista, and the value you present to your customers.”
More and more, Jacopo says Barista Attitude customers have requested a grinder that meets the needs of the specialty market.
He said while price point is important, how the grinder can improve cup quality and add value to a café’s daily operations should be positioned beyond any numerical figure.
“There are so many variables that can ruin your work, and in this current climate of staff shortages and low retention, baristas need the confidence that they have the right tools to produce the best outcome,” Jacopo says. “If we can make their lives that little bit easier, even with Faro, then we’re doing our job right.”
For more information, visit www.barista-attitude.com and Australian distributor CWE www.cwe.com.au
This article appears in the February 2024 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.
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